


Her Scrunched Nose

by ccbgb



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Angst, F/M, Post-Break Up, Timeline Jump, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, Tumblr Prompt, endgame spoilers, never happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 14:04:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3293093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ccbgb/pseuds/ccbgb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt given to me by tumblr user books-gloriousbooks: Solas jumps into an alternate timeline in an attempt to fix things and ends up in a timeline where Lavellan is not currently dating him. As he begins to adjust into this new world state he realizes a horrible truth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Her Scrunched Nose

Stepping into the Fade was like wading into a pool of warm water. Solas basked in its familiarity, its mist like flower petals on his skin. He tried to not think of how the spirits that flowed past him left a sensation of trailing fingers upon his body. It reminded him too much of _her_.

He knew that that timeline was lost. It had not ended correctly, the orb had been lost and he couldn’t allow that to happen. Alternates existed, surely, and all that was required was to insert his knowledge of the past timeline into that version of himself. Surely with different decisions, different conversations, the course of time could be altered.

Searching the Fade for an entrance was a daunting task. All the while he walked he thought of her. The last timeline had been a failure but perhaps in this one he could stay. Perhaps in this one he wouldn’t have to leave. The thought of hearing her laughter, hearing her questions, tasting her lips…

There. Another timeline.

He scanned its qualities- the current time he could jump to was just after Haven. A frown pulled down at his lips. Deciding whether to side with the rebel mages or the Templars could have a lasting affect on the outcome. There was still plenty of time, however. This entrance granted him a second chance right when the Inquisition was about to rise to power.

That decided it.

Stepping out of the Fade and into a time completely foreign to him was less like warm water and more like being struck by lightning. He felt his body lurch and his essence locked into place. Then he was present, standing next to his desk in Skyhold. This timeline’s memories flooded his consciousness as he stood silently. Above him he could hear the Nightingale’s crows begging for the open skies.

They had disbanded the Templars this go around. Solas smiled. Quite like her, if not somewhat unexpected. If she had to choose the Templars at least she nipped their oppressive power at the bud. It also was a different choice than the last timeline. There was hope.

He opened his eyes at the door opening. She walked over, casually, smiling at him in what seemed like the first time in forever. He could barely keep his cool. He had missed her smile, the one dimple on her right cheek, the way her nose scrunched like she had a secret. The light of the veilfire by the door reflected off her smooth skin, turning her faded green vallaslin dark.

“Inquisitor,” he said, somewhat breathless.

“Hello Solas,” she said, grinning wide, “How goes your research?”

He desperate searched this timeline’s memories, figuring out how to respond, how far into their relationship they were. To be too forward could potentially ruin their blossoming relationship, to be too reserved could result in sounding cold. Had they visited the Fade for the first time? Had they already made love in her quarters, the open windows cooling their backs? He searched frantically for an answer and found-

Nothing?

His smile slowly faded from his lips. They had been at Skyhold for nearly a month at this point. There was no indication of interest, no Fade dreams, just a blank nothing where their relationship was supposed to be. Of course there were conversations about the Fade, about her culture, about the Breach but nothing more.

“Solas?”

He slapped himself back into the moment, his chest aching. She was staring up at him in what he knew to be her confused look. It was the look she gave him their first time in the Fade, the look she gave him when he tried to describe his friend’s trouble, the look when he told her goodbye-

“Are you alright?” she asked, waving a hand in front of his face, “Anyone there, my friend?”

“Ah, yes,” he choked out, “Sorry.”

She laughed. “I see you are very busy. I will come back later. Hope to see you at dinner, then!”

She was gone.

Alone, he tried to regain himself. So they did not have a relationship currently. That was fine, he chided himself, he was selfish to think otherwise. However, that did not stop him from deciding to pursue her.

Half the fun is the chase, he reminded himself as he headed to dinner, she is still my vhenan. She is no different. She will still love me. Solas repeated this as a mantra as he sat at a table, other guests filing in. He paid no mind to those around him, focusing on finding her. 

“Hey Chuckles, you look particularly cheery!”

Solas looked down to see Varric sitting beside him, that ever present sly smile etched upon his face. The dwarf always could read too much. He had to be careful.

“I am always cheery, Varric. Why else would you grant me such a nickname?”

Varric raised his eyebrows and said, “Ever heard of a thing called irony?”

Solas ignored the rhetorical question and continued scanning for the Inquisitor.

“You sure are interested in today’s guests. You lookin’ for someone?” Varric asked, his tone lowering as it always did when he attempted to glean information from someone.

Solas was too tired, too disappointed to care. “Where is our Inquisitor? Should she not be dining with the guests?”

“Oh, I’m sure she’ll be here,” Varric said suddenly disinterested, “It’s just a lot of stairs between here and the Commander’s office.”

“Commander Cullen’s office? What did she need there?” Had he missed something? Was there to be an attack soon?

“I think the right question is, ‘What didn’t she need there?’” Varric said, chuckling. When Solas met his eye for the first time in the conversation, the dwarf stopped smiling. “What, you mean you don’t know? The whole damn keep knows at this point. You spend too much time in dream-world, Chuckles.”

Solas resisted the urge to grab Varric by the trim of his shirt. He was missing part of the picture, something crucial, something-

Two shadows emerged silhouetted in the main archway of the hall. A few light-hearted wolf whistles greeted them and the distance between the shadows grew. Solas’s eyes adjusted and he wished he were blind.

Her hair was a mess, but a controlled mess, like that of when they had had their tryst in the stairwell in the Empress’s palace. It had been hastily combed by her delicate fingers in an attempt to maintain a public decency. He had chuckled and called her beautiful and she had rested her forehead against his. Now the sight of the same mess of hair made his stomach burn like a hot coal in the pit of his abdomen. Her face was flushed and glowing, partly from the whistles, partly from what she had been doing before arriving. Solas’s face felt frozen.

Beside her was the Commander.

The human had his hair slicked back as always, but a few curls had come askew. His face was also flushed but he walked with determination. He would not allow himself to be made a fool of. He had a sense of pride and dignity as he found a place at an opposing table. The Inquisitor apologized to the room saying she was tired from training and had a long journey tomorrow and would be taking her dinner privately. As she closed the door leading to her quarters, there was a bounce in her step. The Commander had also been watching.

“What’s the matter, Chuckles? You look like you’ve just seen a damned dragon instead of two lovers trying to act like they didn’t just come from-" 

Solas stood abruptly, his chair squeaking loudly. In the din of the dining hall it went unnoticed to all but Varric.

“I’ll be taking my dinner in my study tonight,” he managed to blurt out.

He rushed away before Varric could say anything. Solas had forgotten to take any food.

He entered his study and ran up the stairs to the vacant library. He opened the door to the outside, unfortunately facing the Commander’s office where Lavellan had just-

He let out a cry of frustration.

Cullen? He couldn’t wrap his mind around it. What had changed so drastically between this timeline and his? A Templar? What was he, then? Nothing?

The door opened behind him and there she stood. Still flushed, still beautiful with her mussed hair. He gritted his teeth, willing himself to forget the image of Cullen grabbing her hair, making her mouth open in that way when she-

“Varric said something was wrong. Is there trouble, Solas?”

She asked this so innocently, her confused look once more. He couldn’t bear it, her looking at him with those eyes and that hair.

“Trouble? Never!” he shouted away from her, glaring at the Commander’s office, “There is no trouble at all, Inquisitor, please, go back to your quarters!”

He dared not look at her. He knew she would be hurt, confused by his outburst, but right now he didn’t want to know, didn’t want to care.

“Solas if I have done something to offend you-“

He could no longer contain himself.

“The Commander! Of all-“

“That is none of your business, Solas!” she interjected.

“It sure does explain the whole Templar thing,” he shouted, raising his hands up to the sky in exasperation, “Of course it does!”

“If you think for one minute that my leadership is being led from the wrong place-“

“The wrong place?” he was out of control now, “How about the wrong time?”

Solas lowered his head, reclaiming his composure. His heart ached, his body pained him, but she could not know. Would never know. Behind him her shaky breaths labored through her clenched teeth. In his mind’s eye he could see her- fists clenched, shoulders tight, head lowered slightly. Tears welled up in the backs of his eyes but he willed them away.

“I apologize, Inquisitor,” he said, voice steady and smooth. He knew she would still be angry but he had to cover it with something. “I worry that your lack of secrecy may lead others to question who is leading who. It was wrong of me to react this way, however, and I am sorry.”

He heard the door slam behind him. She would worry over his words for days, he knew, just as she would worry about any concern of leadership. Sometimes he would spend hours showing her ways to dispel rumors with a strategically placed cup and she would laugh at how silly The Game was. That was when he knew she had calmed. But no more.

It was not his job to calm her any longer. As he walked slowly back to his quarters, he willed himself to forget those memories. It could be dangerous were Cole to overhear. He did his best to focus on the orb, the endgame.

All that came to mind instead was her smiling face and scrunched up nose.

**Author's Note:**

> As posted on tumblr by myself


End file.
